The social network for fine art collectors.

Israel Museum Gets Rare Klimt

Jerusalem -- The Israel Museum has acquired the only known remaining oil study created by 19th-century Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.

This painting is part of a series of works destroyed by German forces in the closing days of World War II, who deemed the pieces 'degenerate'.

Art collectors of ArtKabinett social media network are exited to view this important Klimt artwork during a visit to Israel.

Klimt’s “Die Medizin (Kompositionsentwurf)”, painted in 1897-1898, was a study for a series of large paintings initially created for display at the University of Vienna.

An allegorical work, it depicts the Hygiea, the Greek goddess of health, set against a swirling column of nude figures, the museum said in an e-mailed statement.

The museum said it purchased the oil study from descendants of Hermann Wittgenstein, a patron of Klimt and cousin of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, for an undisclosed amount.

Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was bought for $135 million in 2006 by billionaire Ronald Lauder.

“This iconic work encapsulates the spirit of the 19th century, while also laying important groundwork for the radical shifts that would come to define early 20th-century art,” Israel Museum director James Snyder said in the statement.